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It is amazing to watch that Torts’ team was about transition offense and Tocchet is the complete opposite. Not sure during the hiring process why the regime thought it was a good idea to do a complete 180 on style of play. They could not break down a blueline missing their top 3 Dmen. If they make the playoffs, it will only happen if Vladar plays 50 games and has a top 10 save %. Tocchet does not have the offensive structure to win any other way. This has proven to be true in all of Tocchet’s previous jobs. Got to give the man credit, he got paid by the Flyers and he has shown no ability to adjust his offensive structure. Play safe and only shoot with traffic in front of the net. Leads to a lot of nights just like what has happened in Tampa.
The Flyers now have given up the 4th least amount of goals in the league, and have scored the 4th least goals. Unless the team gets on a hot streak of shooting %, this is Tocchet hockey. It is no different then his last head coaching jobs. It is generally very boring hockey. Quite frankly, when the team plays three 3rd line centers and one 4th line center, the boredom factor is magnified. Really cannot afford to trade Luchanko or Nesbitt because no matter what the belief is in their ceiling, they have to let those players develop and hope because the cupboard is so barren right now. Couts, Cates, and Dvorak are basically the same type of center, redundancy at its highest.
It sure looks like they are going to do everything possible to make it as a wildcard. This roster is not taking steps to ascend into a playoff contender. It has serious structural issues that place the team right back into purgatory. The HC has zero interest in seeing if Zegras can develop into a top 6 center, which is something they have absolutely nothing close to at the NHL or AHL level. Baffling decisions.
So do they try and extend Brink? From an on ice performance standpoint makes sense. However, Zegras is adding to the glut of wingers because the HC seems determined not to allow him to be a full time center. The extensions of TK and Tippett were they the right move? TK’s has a NTC and Tippett has a limited no trade this summer. I guess they could make Martone “earn it” next season by starting him in the AHL or on the 4th line. Did I mention Grebenkin is a unique forward who wins board battles at a rate that only Foerster can match.
Full credit to the top 4 Dmen carrying the load. Would be nice to use some of these wingers and get a Dman who can move Seeler down to the 3rd pair. I am not hopeful they can solve the center problem other then continue to draft them and hope to develop. Players like Eichel only become available under extraordinary circumstances. That is not a viable plan.
no fn way to both.
flyers have no plan. their big free agency plan has been blown up. Who will they sign as the next hayes.
If Briere does not move Tippett before his modified NTC clause kicks in it will be a mistake. He will be 27 soon, and he might get 30 goals in a season. However, his playmaking ability or defensive awareness is not going to improve. TK is sunk cost at this point, who will only be moved if he asks to go. A new coaching staff playing him in all situations even at the expense of giving shifts to players who need to develop for the team to be a contender. He is not going anywhere anytime soon.
On a somewhat separate note, still wait and see what the regime does with Dvorak. Clearly, the HC values him this season, which makes me believe why would he not want him next season. A smart GM trades him for assets at the deadline because this team is not a serious contender this season or next season with Dvorak in a top 9 role. For me the choice is easy, see how it plays out.
So do they try and extend Brink? From an on ice performance standpoint makes sense. However, Zegras is adding to the glut of wingers because the HC seems determined not to allow him to be a full time center. The extensions of TK and Tippett were they the right move? TK’s has a NTC and Tippett has a limited no trade this summer. I guess they could make Martone “earn it” next season by starting him in the AHL or on the 4th line. Did I mention Grebenkin is a unique forward who wins board battles at a rate that only Foerster can match.
Full credit to the top 4 Dmen carrying the load. Would be nice to use some of these wingers and get a Dman who can move Seeler down to the 3rd pair. I am not hopeful they can solve the center problem other then continue to draft them and hope to develop. Players like Eichel only become available under extraordinary circumstances. That is not a viable plan.
So Michkov gonna start on LW apparently for this game. This organization seems to really enjoy tinkering, which has led to so very little over the last few seasons. Seems like the last HC that understood offensive hockey was Lavi. Good times.
https://www.thefourthperiod.com/nov-2025/kings-exploring-market-for-winger
Well, the Flyers are certainly a team LA needs to call. Considering this is Kopitar’s last season and if they want any chance to finally go thru EDM, I would expect the Kings would be looking for a scoring forward. Need to pull off another Zegras trade because the spending spree in the summer of ’26 in free agency is already a bust.
Tocchet deserves credit for improving the team defense. However, his teams shots per game has been lower top 5 over multiple seasons. This is not a coincidence. This was a major concern when the interview process was happening and Tochet was the front runner. I do not know exactly what the plan is for Michkov going forward. Supposedly, he is the foundation of the franchise going forward and on the second game of a back to back, it was a good idea to place him with Abols and Dvorak. I guess this is supposed to help him in his development. For the season, Michkov is playing under 15 minutes/game. He is being treated as a middle six forward on a team that has a clear abundance of middle six wingers. The organization seeks shelter for itself by stating they want to be better, but do not have to make the playoffs this year. Perfect mantra for an organization with an overwhelming amount of limited forwards to continue to play and hope to be an average team. Better to play safe players then give more minutes to players like Michkov, Grebenkin, and Andrae and see if they can lift the performance of the team.
Looking at the attendance numbers to start the season, the regime is losing the bet they are giving the fanbase an appealing product. After opening night, attendance has not broken above 18,009. Come see your future superstar play less then 15 minutes a game. Seems like a sketchy plan.
is it him or is it the goalie making it look better?
mind boggling.
focus is playoffs only. not anything long or medium term.
The PK has been really good so far. I don’t mind a PK not scoring goals. I thought the whole “Power Kill” mantra was silly. Allowing goalies to see the puck as opposed to expecting every player on the ice to act as a human shield seems like a better idea.
After that, yeah the offensive woes I place a lot of blame on the HC. I get the sense that he is implying not enough guys are going to the net, which he refers to as the “hard area”. Well, he inherited a roster with few net front guys to begin with, so somehow it is a shock because most of the top 6 guys with skill are below 200 lbs. Not sure it makes sense to expect most of these forwards to camp out and try to tip shots from the point. Couts and Cates, I expect could fit that bill. Grebenkin could, but Tocchet has shown an unwillingness to play him minutes. Foerster and Tippett have size, but have never really been a major part of their games. Zegras, Mickhkov, TK, and Brink will go and make plays in the center of the ice, but expecting them to camp at the crease constantly just is unrealistic. Much like the previous HC, is the current HC adjusting his style of play to his players, or do the players have to bend to his will.
The issue going forward is this brand of hockey is boring with the occasional elevated shooting % game. From the current list of top 9 forwards on the NHL roster and the AHL, the regime would have to severely reshape the forwards to play Tocchet’s style of hockey he seems intent on installing. So far at the gate, the fanbase does not seem overly enthused with this HC and brand of hockey. The supposed future star of the team has played like 1 shift in 4 OT games. Even watching the games at home, I want to see the potential star play as much as possible in another regular season that it is a fact this team is not a serious contender. He has already “earned” that right to play more from his rookie season last season. He deserves the chance to play out of his slump because if Michkov does not pan out as at least a PP/game player, this rebuild or retool is finished. Martone turning out to be a stud and the consummate scoring power forward will not be enough to carry the team to being a contender if Michkov does not work. The rest of the forward group is not talented enough to make up that gap if Michkov cannot elevate to near elite level. TK going into his 30s is not going to find enough consistency to be that guy. Foerster could be a really good two way forward, but his playmaking ability is not top tier. Brink doubtful becomes even a 60 pt guy. Zegras has shown 60 point ability in the past. Tippett will be 27 is this going to be year 1 of consistently being a 30 goal scorer- highly uncertain. Couts is an older fine 3C. Cates is a younger, but not exactly young anymore fine 3C.
Tocchet deserves credit for improving the team defense. However, his teams shots per game has been lower top 5 over multiple seasons. This is not a coincidence. This was a major concern when the interview process was happening and Tochet was the front runner. I do not know exactly what the plan is for Michkov going forward. Supposedly, he is the foundation of the franchise going forward and on the second game of a back to back, it was a good idea to place him with Abols and Dvorak. I guess this is supposed to help him in his development. For the season, Michkov is playing under 15 minutes/game. He is being treated as a middle six forward on a team that has a clear abundance of middle six wingers. The organization seeks shelter for itself by stating they want to be better, but do not have to make the playoffs this year. Perfect mantra for an organization with an overwhelming amount of limited forwards to continue to play and hope to be an average team. Better to play safe players then give more minutes to players like Michkov, Grebenkin, and Andrae and see if they can lift the performance of the team.
Looking at the attendance numbers to start the season, the regime is losing the bet they are giving the fanbase an appealing product. After opening night, attendance has not broken above 18,009. Come see your future superstar play less then 15 minutes a game. Seems like a sketchy plan.
So I guess the plan is now for Luchanko to be scratched enough games consecutively to qualify for a conditioning assignment in the AHL. Would really like to see Foerster with either Michkov and/or Zegras some time this year. I think we are going to find out Foerster’s success is not necessarily being tied to just having Cates and Brink with him.
Bonk just “5 or 6 weeks away” and now Gill out “12 to 15 weeks away” really makes the blueline prospect cupboard looking pretty unremarkable. As a Flyers fan, certainly reasonable to question whether these timelines will prove to be true.
If you have an opinion that Zegras cannot play center then certainly I can understand the lack of debate. I do remember when Cates was transitioned to center it took some time for his faceoff % to improve. The center depth is not great, a lot redundancy. Outside of Couts right now, I do not see a lot of passing creativity from the center position. Considering the organization is loaded with wingers who are more scorers as opposed to playmakers seems like a long-term issue. I do have hope Luchanko can develop into a play making center. Guelph is 1 point from the basement in their division, and the current HC is more concerned about winning every game with a team that is not a serious contender and will rely on vets shorting his bench to accomplish his goals.
The litmus test for me is when the trade deadline rolls around. Do they trade Dvorak or keep him? Pretty obvious Tocchet values his contributions to the team. Interesting fact, only 1 center currently on the roster playing center regularly has scored 40 points or more in a season (Couts). Vladar is playing as a top tier goaltender right now, and the team is at hockey .500. Granted, very early in the season and not an easy schedule so far. 7 games in and only 2 other teams have scored less goals on the season. Again, small sample size, curious to see how it plays out.
So is the plan to ramp up Zegras to play more at center as the season progresses, or continue to limit his usage at center and transition him back to wing. I’ll be curious to find out. Would not mind breaking up the Cates line, which I know seems impossible. I think Foerster can play with more skilled guys who might not have the defensive prowess and even be a better goal scorer.
The top 4 and Vladar are getting the job done right now. Full credit to those guys. PP is still killing this team and right now it looks like another coaching staff has no answers.
I would still hope to see a line of Foerster-Zegras-Michkov some time this season. The current lines are not Cup contender worthy. Not a surprise, so it would be nice to look at lines that have a decent shot at being here long-term. Glad to see Tippett is off to a great start, his limited no trade clause kicks in next season. At this point, good chance Martone will make the roster out of training camp next season, I hope the plan is not to make him earn it by starting on the 4th line.
So this is what competent goaltending looks like. I am pleasantly surprised with Vladar so far, no shade. Tocchet should continue to ride him as his #1 goalie and Ersson as the backup until Vladar’s performance significantly dips. The abundance of top 9 wingers in the organization still makes me believe a trade for a Dman or center is coming over the next calendar year.
